Beetle and mussel-inspired chimeric protein for fabricating anti-icing coating

Ice accretion on surfaces can cause serious damages and economic losses in industries and civilian facilities. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) as evolutionary adaptation products of organisms to cold climates, provide solutions for alleviating icing problems. In this work, a chimeric protein Mfp-AFP was rationally designed combining mussel-inspired adhesive domain with Tenebrio molitor-derived antifreeze protein domain. Expectedly, the multifunctional Mfp-AFP can lower the freezing point of water and inhibit ice recrystallization. The chimeric protein could also readily modify diverse solid surfaces due to the adhesive domain containing Dopa, and resist frosting and delay ice formation due to the beetle-derived antifreeze fragment. Moreover, Mfp-AFP coatings display excellent biocompatibility proved by cytocompatibility and hemolysis assays. Here, the designed multifunctional protein coatings provide an alternative strategy for fabricating anti-icing surfaces.